Traditionally, ceiling fans have been installed by a laborious, time consuming and often cumbersome practice. The conventional ceiling plate is secured to an electric outlet box by passing the lead wires of the outlet box through a central circular opening in the ceiling plate. Mounting screws are passed through two elongated openings in the ceiling plate to threadingly engage with two threaded holes diagonally separated from each other on the periphery of the outlet box. Alternatively, wood screws are passed through the ceiling plate and the outlet box and into a wood stud which supports the outlet box. In either event, the screws are tightened until the ceiling plate is securely mounted on the outlet box.
The typical ceiling plate includes a hanging hook having a first portion which extends vertically downward from the ceiling plate at a location approximately one-half way between one end and the central circular opening. The hanging hook terminates in a second portion having a free end which is bent back up towards the central opening of the ceiling plate.
When a typical ceiling fan assembly is mounted to the ceiling plate, the motor, fan blades and an optional light assembly are secured to a canopy by a down rod or hanger rod. The down rod passes through a central opening in the canopy with a ball mount located at an end of the down rod engaged by a periphery of the opening of the canopy. A radially inwardly extending prong projecting from the periphery of the opening of the canopy engages a slot in the ball mount to allow pivoting of the fan assembly with respect to the canopy.
The canopy includes at each of two opposite locations, a hole and an L-shaped groove. When assembled, the fan assembly is lifted by the canopy so that one hole on one side of the canopy is fitted through the free end of the ceiling hook. The fan assembly is thereby suspended from the ceiling hook.
The electrical lead wires from the ceiling plate are then connected to the lead wires from the fan motor. When the electrical connections are completed, a screw is installed in each of the two screw holes located on opposite sides of the ceiling plate.
The installer of the fan assembly, who is usually positioned at an elevated height by a ladder or some other means, must then lift the entire fan assembly and free the fan assembly from the ceiling plate by removing the canopy from engagement with the free end of the ceiling hook. The amount of allowable movement of the fan assembly is limited by the connection of the electrical wire leads. Therefore, only a small amount of movement of the fan assembly is possible before strain is placed on the connections of the wire leads.
The canopy and fan assembly are lifted until the L-shaped grooves on opposite sides of the canopy are fitted over the shanks of the screws secured in the opposite sides of the ceiling plate. The canopy is at first lifted vertically until the shank of each screw engages the bottom of the portion of the L-shaped groove which is initiated at the uppermost edge of the canopy. The canopy and therefore the entire fan assembly is then twisted so that the shanks of the screws in the ceiling plate slide in the remaining portion of the L-shaped grooves in the canopy.
The canopy of the fan assembly is twisted until the holes at the opposite sides of the canopy are aligned with the two remaining screw holes in the opposite sides of the ceiling plate. A third and fourth screw are inserted, respectively, through the opposite sides of the canopy and into the ceiling plate to anchor the canopy and thus the entire fan assembly on the ceiling plate and suspend the fan from the ceiling.